Wednesday, January 01, 2003
Trial of 4 co-defendants delayed as well
Judge postpones Knox trial indefinately

By JEN McCAFFERY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

The trial against a Roanoke pain specialist and four people who worked with him at Southwest Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Southwest Roanoke has been postponed indefinitely, attorneys on the case said Tuesday.

Chief U.S. District Judge Samuel Wilson ruled last month that the trial against Cecil Byron Knox, 53, would not proceed Jan. 6 because Knox is ill from treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Wilson said he would wait to see how Knox's treatment was proceeding before scheduling another trial date.

Wilson had not ruled on whether Knox's four co-defendants would still face trial this month.

U.S. Attorney John Brownlee and Roanoke attorney John Lichtenstein, who is representing Southwest Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the case, both said they had been contacted by a federal court clerk who let them know that Wilson had postponed the trial indefinitely for all five defendants.

Knox and his former employees, Beverly Gale Boone, 43, of Roanoke and Tiffany Durham, 28, of Blue Ridge, face charges of conspiracy, health care fraud, mail fraud, obstruction of justice, payment and receipt of kickbacks, illegal drug distribution that resulted in the death or serious injury of patients, and prescription of drugs for no legitimate medical purpose.

Knox and Boone also face racketeering charges. The indictment also alleges that Knox traded OxyContin prescriptions for marijuana.

Two other people who worked with Knox at the practice, Willard Newbill James Jr., 57, of Roanoke and Kathleen O'Gee, 54, of Pulaski, also face racketeering and health care fraud charges.

Jen McCaffery can be reached at 981-3336 or jen.mccaffery@roanoke.com.

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